• Bioterrorism rule ineffective in salmonella outbreak

    Rules and regulations passed in the wake of 9/11 were supposed to tighten monitoring and tracking food items, so an outbreak of food-borne illness could be quickly traced to its source; food supply-chain practices make these rules and regulations difficult to implement

  • U.S. intelligence services aware of vast Chinese espionage campaign

    Multifaceted Chinese espionage campaign in the United States and other Western countries aims not only to steal military secrets, but also industrial secrets and intellectual property in order to help Chinese companies better compete in the global economy; Chinese government and state-sponsored industries have relied not only on trained intelligence officers, but also on the Chinese diaspora — using immigrants, students, and people of second- and third-generation Chinese heritage

  • Federal money for identity programs boost biometrics market

    A slew of U.S. government programs — US VISIT, the Real ID Act, TWIC, the FBI’s next-generation database, and many more — depend on biometric technology; the estimated value of potential contracts to implement federal identity-solutions programs has more than doubled since 2006, rising from $890 million to $2 billion this year; biometric companies fiercely compete — and lobby — for contracts

  • Banks' PIN codes susceptible to hackers' theft

    Network of PIN codes’ thieves nets millions of dollars; hackers are targeting the ATM system’s infrastructure, which is increasingly built on Microsoft’s Windows operating system and allows machines to be remotely diagnosed and repaired over the Internet

  • U.S.-EU private data sharing agreement near

    The United States and the EU are near an agreement to share private data of their citizens, including credit card information, travel history, and internet browsing information; one issue yet to be resolved: the right of EU citizens to sue the U.S. government for mishandling the information

  • U.S. Supreme Court rejects environmentalists' challenge to border fence

    DHS waived 19 federal laws so a fence could be built on the Arizona-Mexico border; two environmentalist groups challenged the ruling, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected challenge

  • Air passnegers now must show an ID to be allowed on board

    Until this past weekend, a passenger who agreed to secondary search of his or her body and baggage at airport check-points was allowed to board even if they did not have — or refused to show — an ID; this policy was changed on Saturday

  • IG: DHS inaction cost millions

    DHS Inspector General says DHS failed to implement more than 1,000 recommendations; FEMA largest offender

  • IAEA to inspect bombed Syrian site

    The UN nuclear agency has said Syria will allow inspectors to visit the country to investigate allegations that it was building a nuclear reactor; Israel destroyed facility in an air raid on 6 September

  • Boston biolab: Panel urges review of possible lab threats

    As community opposition to the almost-complete Boston University biolab continues, a panel of experts says neighborhood’s concerns — and safety — should not be excluded from consideration of final approval for lab opening

  • U.K. to store all phone calls and e-mails

    The U.K. Home Office plans to create a massive database to store every person’s e-mails, phone calls, text messages, and Internet use; police and security services would only be granted access to the information after seeking permission from the courts

  • Consulting firm settles H-1B discrimination case

    Against the backdrop of growing controversy over the H1-B visa program, Department of Justice fines consulting firm which advertised computer jobs for H1-B visa holders only; company was accused of discriminating against qualified U.S. workers who would have been eligible for the jobs

  • Secret wiretap warrants double since 9/11

    A Justice Department report shows FISA warrants for counterterrorism, espionage cases up

  • FDA: Heparin contamination may have been deliberate

    Blood-thinner heparin costs manufacturers $900 a pound; a similar chemical, oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, costs $9 a pound; Chinese drug manufacturer uses the latter chemical to produce fake heparin — causing the death of nearly 100 and sickness of thousands around the world; FDA initially said this was a case of “economic fraud,” but now says something more sinister may be afoot

  • Senate Democrats criticize political involvement in toxic chemical decisions

    The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says extensive involvement by EPA managers, White House budget officials, and other agencies has eroded the independence of EPA scientists charged with determining the health risks posed by chemicals